Nottingham Forest picked up a huge three points by narrowly beating Leeds United 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.
Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game and the result adds to the pressure on Leeds manager Jesse Marsch.
Bosque go five undefeated
While Forest are now unbeaten in five, Leeds have now lost three games in a row and are looking straight down the barrel.
Marsch’s team have not won in five and are flirting with relegation sitting in 17th place with 18 points, the same as Everton one place hit after playing one game less.
Leeds, however, continued to press their hosts for an equalizer and nearly restored parity just ten minutes before halftime.
Navas debuts
Debutant and new signing Keylor Navas held off Luke Ayling’s powerful shot to maintain his team’s lead.
The 36-year-old custodian signed on loan from PSG on deadline day, once again denying Wilfried Gnoto minutes later when Forest went into halftime with a slim lead.
Much of the same continued after the restart as Leeds pinned Forest, but despite carrying a significant goal threat, Leeds fell short on time and again with the final ball.
However, Steve Cooper’s team, buoyed by their local support, grew in the game and maintained their form and defensive discipline to keep their opponent at bay.
Leeds had most of the possession but had nothing to show for it, barely testing Navas in the second half. Forest held on to claim three important points in their quest to stay afloat in the Premier League.
For Marsch and company, the signs look ominous as they face Manchester United twice, then within a 4-day span.
Gibbs-White praised his team’s mentality after the win saying: “It’s huge. All the work we did in the week was huge…we knew today was going to be a big fight, Leeds were very tough today, a strong side…but I feel like we fought and got the best out of them. And in the end we got the three points”.
Photo Credit: IMAGO/PA Images
